Job summary
Personal Medical Secretary (Band 4)
Clinical Support Services Division
37.5 hours per week to be worked Monday - Friday | Based at Whiston Hospital

We have three full-time (37.5 hour) positions available.

Your choice of specialty/specialties will be discussed at interview:

• Respiratory
• Trauma & Orthopaedics
• General Surgery

We are looking for organised and proactive Personal Medical Secretaries to support our consultants and clinical teams. These are key roles within fast-paced specialties where excellent administrative support is essential to providing high-quality patient care.

Main duties of the job
About the Role
Provide comprehensive secretarial support to consultants and the wider clinical team.

Manage diaries, appointments, clinical correspondence and audio typing.

Support meetings, prepare documents and take minutes.

Liaise with patients, clinicians and departments professionally and efficiently.

Ensure timely handling of referrals, investigations and patient queries.

About You
We're looking for someone who is:

• Highly organised with strong audio typing and administrative skills.
• Able to work independently in a busy environment.
• Confident communicating with patients and clinical staff.
• Accurate, detail-focused and discreet.

If you're motivated, adaptable and committed to delivering excellent administrative support, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply now to join our team.

About us
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 10,500 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

Our services:
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.

Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.

Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.

Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

Achievements:

• Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme.

Job responsibilities
To provide a comprehensive service to the Consultant and Speciality Team including nurse clinicians.Keep diary up to date, arrange appointments, and arrange travel and accommodation.Operate an effective bring forward system and filing system.Type dictation from audio transcription of clinical correspondence and documentation, ensuring all letter and workflow processes are adhered to and Standard Operating Procedures are followed.Type discharge summaries as appropriateCheck against clinical letters to ensure appropriate follow up arrangements/investigations are in place. Rectify if not.

Support Consultant in non-clinical activities/Clinical Director role by preparing presentation documents using relevant packages and arranging meetings, circulate agenda/supporting papers as appropriate, and taking minutes at meetings.Ensure appropriate personnel are informed of consultant annual/study leave. Amend clinic/theatre lists/forms appropriately. Keep Consultants informed of junior doctor leave could have an effect on the service.Manage on-call rotas in absence of Rota Co-ordinator when requested, ensuring that annual/study leave, and sickness do not compromise the smooth running and the department. Liaise with Medical Staffing to arrange locum cover. If emergency need is requested by members of clinical team, ensure this is covered accordingly liaising closely with Clinical Director.

Person Specification
Our Values
Essential

• We are Kind
• We are Open
• We are Inclusive

Qualifications
Essential

• GSCE Standard or Higher
• RSA 3 - Typing / Word Processing
• RSA 3 - Medical Audio Typing
• Good English Language Skills
• Medical Terminology

Desirable

• Shorthand / Speed Writing
• Secretarial Diploma
• ECDL
• CLAIT award

Experience
Essential

• Minute Taking
• Microsoft Office Experience
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Previous Medical Secretary Experience
• Medical Audio Typing

Desirable

• 2 years' experience in a similar role or equivalent knowledge

Skills
Essential

• Excellent IT Skills
• Excellent organisational skills
• Ability to communicate professionally at all levels
• Excellent Word Processing and Keyboard skills
• Ability to organise workload effectively and prioritise
• Use of all Microsoft Office software, Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint

Desirable

• Ability to use initiative to solve problems
• Knowledge of Trust computer systems

Other
Essential

• Highly developed interpersonal skills
• Ability to use own initiative and work independently
• Capability to adapt to most situations
• Reliable and conscientious
• Ability to maintain control of stressful situations
• Able to work the hours and undertake duties required
• Ability to travel across hospital sites when required
• Possess a friendly and approachable personality
• Ability to show understanding an appreciation
• Comply with Trust policies and procedures at all times
• Ability and willingness to undergo further training for the post
• Maintain confidentiality at all times

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.